


The Agreste Letters

by GalahadWilder



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is straight GUZZLING his Respect and Appreciate Marinette Juice, But There is a Heart Attack, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Marinette is a certified Genius and anyone who disagrees is gonna CATch these hands, Mutual Pining, Nathalie is trying to be a good stepmom but it's hard when you're a supervillain, Nobody Actually Dies, Post-Reveal Pre-Relationship, Some hurt/comfort, That's just how I roll, mild mutual pining, mostly fluff tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2019-07-17 06:07:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16089623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalahadWilder/pseuds/GalahadWilder
Summary: Gabriel Agreste suffers a debilitating heart attack and is temporarily unable to assume the role of Hawkmoth. However, he has a contingency: temporarily pass his Miraculous to his son, and have him terrorize Paris in his stead.What Gabriel doesn’t realize is that his son Adrien is also his nemesis Chat Noir, and he’s just handed his worst enemy the keys to his power—as well as a dilemma of Miraculous proportions.





	1. Chapter 1

_Adrien,  
_

_If Nathalie has given you this letter, then I am dead, kidnapped, arrested, or otherwise incapacitated for a period of greater than two and a half weeks. If you are reading this and none of these things are the case, and she has **not** given you this letter, then you are in my study without permission and will not read another word of this letter, otherwise I will remove you from school._

_When your mother died, I searched obsessively for a way to bring her back to us, and believe I have done so: the Miraculi of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Together, their power can return the dead to life. However, to do so requires some secrecy, hence why I have hidden this part of my life from everyone but Nathalie until now. I would rather not have to rely on you in this, but necessity is a harsh mistress._

_I shall not prevaricate any further. I am Hawkmoth._

_All of Paris believes me to be a vaudevillian megalomaniac, a monster in both word and deed, for that is the part that I must play. But know that everything I have ever done as Hawkmoth has been for the good of this family, and the façade I wear has been simply misdirection. I do not wish to terrorize Paris. All I want is the Miraculi._

_However, the secrecy of my mission requires certain patterns be upheld. Should Hawkmoth disappear while Gabriel Agreste is incapacitated, my identity will be uncovered, and all will be for nought. The Akuma must continue, with or without me._

_It is for that reason that Nathalie has given you my broach—or rather, my Miraculous. In order to bring your mother back, you must take up the mantle of Hawkmoth and continue my mission. Remember: Ladybug and Chat Noir are the only things standing between us and having our family whole again. Do not allow your soft heart to prevail over what you know must be done, and do not show them any mercy._

_Let me reiterate: your mother **needs** those Miraculi. There is no other option. Do not fail her._

_Your father,_

_Gabriel Agreste_

* * *

 

Three sets of eyes stared down at the letter in the gathering dark of the Agreste mansion’s library. Only one set was human.

Adrien’s gaze flicked back and forth between his hands: one contained the letter his father’s assistant had given him; the other, the jeweled broach that had been enclosed. Thoughts whirled through his head, each half-formed, slain before he could properly articulate any. No options. Nothing he could do that wouldn’t end badly. He was halfway between the frying pan and the fire, already falling, and had no idea which way led to the flames.

He looked up, and there, sitting on the table before him, were Plagg and Nooroo. The cat with the midnight fur and the butterfly with the violet scales. Each was speechless, staring at the other, floored by the unexpected presence in their midst.

“Plagg,” Adrien croaked, finally, “what am I going to do?”


	2. Chapter 2

Ladybug was beginning to grow antsy. At first she’d been delighted at the reprieve—three full days without any Akuma!—but then, by day four, she began to feel a suspicious tingle on the back of her neck, a whisper in the adrenaline-sharpened corners of her mind. Hawkmoth had never gone more than three days without Akumatizing someone, and by day five, she was beginning to go insane.

He HAD to be planning something. Right?

She’d doubled up tonight’s patrol, just in case she saw something, but no dice: not a single butterfly, purple or otherwise. She squinted downward at the streets from her perch on the top of a random building, trying to see something, _anything_ that might give her a clue as to what Hawkmoth was up to.

She was so focused that she didn’t realize anyone was behind her until she heard face hit roof.

”Ow!” Chat yelped, immediately followed by “I’m okay!”

”Oh my gosh, Chaton!” Ladybug cried, spinning, leaping towards him, and wrapping her arms around his chest. “Are you all right?”

Chat wiped his bloody nose, wincing as the back of his hand touched the raw stipes the roof had left on his cheeks. “S’allright,” he grumbled. “Just my face. Not like I need it for my job or anything.”

Ladybug reached up and traced the lines with her fingertips, causing him to suck in a breath through gritted teeth. “Sorry!” She yelped. “Do you... should I have Tikki try and make some ointment?”

Chat sucked in a breath, then let out a laugh. “I’ll be fine,” he said, pulling back and gesturing at his face. “See? Already healing.”

She tapped him on the lips. “Did you trip again, Kitty?”

He swallowed. “Um... no?”

She giggled and turned back to her vigil, scooting to make room for him. “You’re a terrible liar,” she said.

He settled down next to her, quiet as can be, but he wasn’t looking at Paris, or at her, both of which were unusual. Instead, he seemed to be fiddling with his pocket zipper, which was something she’d only seen him do when he was nervous about something. (Though she’d never mentioned it to him. He’d get self-conscious about it and then she’d lose a great indicator into his mental state, as well as a _very_ cute habit.)

After a moment of letting him twist in the wind with whatever was bothering him, she cleared her throat. “What’s wrong, Minou?”

He licked his lips, then smiled. “How do you always know?”

Ladybug shrugged. “Secret girl powers.”

Chat’s grin dwindled, and he swallowed. “I need your help with something.”

Ladybug drew one knee to her chest and wrapped her arms around it, letting the other dangle free into the Paris avenue below. “Sure,” she said. “What’s up?”

Chat unzipped his pocket and produced a small black-purple stone. “This.”

Ladybug raised an eyebrow. It didn’t seem like much; what had him so worried?

Chat stroked the stone with his finger. “It’s okay, Nooroo,” he said. “Nobody’s gonna hurt you.”

Ladybug’s eyes narrowed. Nooroo? Where had she heard that name before?

”Ladybug’s here,” Chat murmured, and suddenly the stone erupted into violet sparks.

And Ladybug felt the familiar sensation of a Kwami hugging her cheek.

”Ladybug!” a strange voice whispered. “Thank the Guardian.” Then, was suddenly as it had come, the pressure released, the Kwami flitting away. “No, personal space, too close,” it—he?—said, wringing its tiny hands. As well as giving her her first good look at the Butterfly Kwami.

Ladybug swallowed, unblinking, as she stared at the fairy-like creature. “You’re—you’re Nooroo,” she whispered. “You’re Hawkmoth’s Kwami.”

Nooroo nodded.

Ladybug turned to look at Chat. “That’s his Miraculous,” she said.

It wasn’t a question, but Chat nodded anyway. She could see the relief spread across his face as he realized she understood.

Everything made sense now. Hawkmoth wasn’t planning anything: he was _crippled_. Chat had somehow stolen the source of his power, gotten his hands on the one thing that could stop this war and save everyone—without her even knowing about it. She’d always known he was competent, but THIS? This was on another level entirely.

“Where did you get this?” she said, her voice shaking with a combination of pride and relief. “Did you steal it?”

Chat swallowed and shook his head. “No,” he said. “That’s why I need your help.”

”What?”

”He _gave_ it to me.”

Ladybug’s leg dropped. So did her jaw. Then she closed her mouth and steeled herself.

”Tell me _everything_.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Everything?” Chat whispered, his eyes shining, his ears standing straight up.

Ladybug groaned—she knew what _that_ look meant. “No names, Kitty,” she said. “Misspoke.”

Chat’s face fell, his ears drooping along with the corners of his mouth, and Ladybug once again found herself wishing that their situation had been different, that they weren’t in near-constant danger, that Tikki wasn’t so adamant about keeping their identities a secret. “Hey,” she murmured, leaning forward to scratch him under the chin.

He brightened immediately.

“We’re close,” she said, moving her hand up to his scalp and rubbing beneath his hair. (He purred.) “You’ve got Hawkmoth’s Miraculous,” she said. “It’s almost safe. And the instant it is...”

Chat smiled. “You promise?” he said, his voice full of hope.

Ladybug held up her pinky and smiled back.

His eyes flicked down toward it, and he reached out to the offered digit, wrapping it up in his own.

“Promise,” Ladybug said.

Chat drew back and drummed on his knees. “Okay,” he breathed. “Okay, okay, okay. So. Context.” In, then out. “About a year and a half ago, my mother...” He stopped. Swallowed.

”Minou?” Ladybug said. She could see his eyes, trying to hold back tears.

”My mother... she... died,” he said. “Father got distant after that. Cold. Never left the house. And then...”

Ladybug drew her knee to her chest, turning to give him her full attention. He didn’t notice. He was lost in his story, his eyes cast towards the distant lights of the city.

”Four... four days ago,” Chat said, his chest heaving with emotional effort of speaking, “he had a heart attack.”

Ladybug’s hands flew to her mouth to cover her gasp. They didn’t quite manage—his ears twitched, and she knew he’d heard her perfectly.

”I know,” he said with a rueful smile. “It gets worse.” He held up the brooch. “He left me an envelope with two things inside: a letter... and this.”

He turned and met her eyes, and she couldn’t say what was behind his irises. Anger? Fear? Despair? Whatever it was, she could see it burning him. “Ladybug,” he whispered. “My father is Hawkmoth.”

Ladybug’s heart stopped.

She’d known rationally that Hawkmoth was a person, just a man with a Miraculous, like her, but some part of her had always believed he was just some monster. The face in the butterflies had barely appeared human, and it was easier to fight her friends if they were being controlled not by another person, but by some far-off, nonhuman entity. She’d never expected Hawkmoth’s identity to mean anything other than as a tool. She’d never expected—

She hadn’t expected it to be so close.

Her arms, her heart, they ached to hold Chat Noir, to wrap around his shoulders and protect him from the world, but this... there was no protecting him from this. This came from within. Instead she did the only thing she could do. “The... the letter,” she said. “What did it say?”

”He’s trying to—”

And that was it. Whatever was holding Chat’s tears inside broke, and he dissolved into her arms, a blubbering, wet, snotty mess.

Ladybug nearly fell away from the unexpected weight of his body, but instead she squeezed her arms around his shoulders, stroked his back, and waited. He had more to say.

”He—he wants to bring Mom back,” Chat managed to sniffle. “That’s why he needs our Miraculi.”

Oh, _merde_.

”He wants me to be Hawkmoth while he’s in the hospital. He wants me to cover for him, to help... to preserve his identity.” Chat shuddered. “I—I can’t. I can’t be him. I don’t _want_ to be him!” he sobbed.

Ladybug stroked the back of his head. “Shh, shh, shh,” she murmured. “It’s okay. You won’t. I swear.” What were they supposed to do? Nothing about being Ladybug had prepared her for this. “We can give Nooroo to Master Fu. No more Hawkmoth, no more Akuma.”

Chat froze, then shot backward, away from her. “No!” he shrieked. “NononononoNO!” He clutched his sides, shuddering, rocking back and forth as his words continued to spew uncontrolled from his mouth. “He’ll know,” he rasped. “He left it to me. Specific. He’ll—he’ll find out. I can’t... I can’t...”

Ladybug reached out to him, to calm him, but he flinched away from her hand. “I can’t!” he screamed.

”Then we won’t,” she said. And suddenly, looking at her partner collapsing, seeing the effect even the _thought_ of betraying his father had on him, she knew what she had to do.

”Chat Noir,” she said, “we’re going to get you out of that house. For good.” She grabbed him across the shoulders, wrenched him in tight. “Your father is never gonna hurt you again.”

Chat’s shuddering began to subside, and finally, he looked up at her, hope shining in his eyes. “You swear?” he said.

She smiled and held up her pinky.


	4. Chapter 4

“What about my place?” Ladybug said, running her forefinger along the roof shingles. “I’m sure I could talk my parents into it, and that way we could look after each other up close.”

Chat shook his head, his knees hugged to his chest. “I appreciate it, but... not a good idea,” he said. “I’m a minor celebrity and my father has a lot of power independent from his Miraculous.” He dug his claw into the roof. “When I disappear, people _will_  notice. And if he finds out you’re harboring me...”

Ladybug patted the toe of his boot. “We can deal,” she said. “I have to protect you, we can take whatever he throws at us.”

Chat clutched his knees in closer and whimpered. “No, you can’t,” he mumbled. “He’ll break you. He’ll destroy your family.”

Ladybug shrugged. “How bad could it possibly be?”

”Ladybug, he’s friends with the _Mayor_ ,” Chat hissed. “He knows how to control a narrative, he’ll make it seem like you kidnapped me or something and then I’ll never be free again. And _everyone will believe him.”_ He gave a wry, rueful grin. “Imagine Lila Rossi—that liar who keeps popping up on the Ladyblog—but with political power. And money.”

Ladybug swallowed. “Oh,” she said, her voice small.

Chat sighed. “We’re too used to fighting Hawkmoth,” he said. “Gabriel Agreste is a different kind of battle.”

Ladybug choked.

Chat laughed. “You know him?”

Ladybug said nothing, only turning to stare at him. He met her eyes, confused. “Uh,” he said, “are you okay?” If he didn’t know any better he’d have categorized her expression as “absolute terror,” but he knew his Lady wasn’t afraid of anything.

”Agreste?” she whispered.

Chat raised an eyebrow and nodded.

Ladybug swallowed. “Excuse me for just...” she held up a finger, “ _one_  second.” Her voice was weak, he noticed. She unslung her yo-yo from her waist and moved behind a chimney to where he couldn’t see her. “Luck—lucky charm?”

Chat scrambled backward as a red-spotted box burst into existence over Ladybug’s head, dropping out of sight in a second. He heard the cardboard rip, and then... muffled screaming?

Instinct honed from a hundred battles spurred him around the corner, claws at the ready. He saw Ladybug, curled up against the side of the chimney, polka-dot box of camping gear torn open next to her leg. Her face was buried in the pillow.

He came up short. What was she...?

She shrieked again, her voice barely audible through the down material.

”Are you okay?” Chat said.

Ladybug dropped the pillow into her lap. “Yep!” she yelped. “I’m—I’m—I’m—I’m—” She cut off and slammed her fist into the roof with a growl, shattering the shingle beneath her knuckles. “I’m...” She waved a hand.

”You don’t... sound okay?” Chat said.

Ladybug squeezed her entire face shut and shook her head. “Stutter,” she said. “Comes out when—when I’m I’m I’m—” She halted, slamming her face into the pillow again and screaming into the material.

Chat stepped forward, reaching out tentatively, unsure what to do.

She dropped the pillow, breathing heavy and ragged. “We need—you sh-should—Master Fu,” she stammered. “His shop—safe.”

“Are you okay?”

Ladybug waved him off. “I’ll be fine,” she said, thrusting the camping gear into Chat’s hands (but, he noticed, refusing to meet his eyes. Her face seemed to be reddening more every second). “I geed to no—NEED!” She jumped to her feet. “Need to go!” She unslung her yo-yo, spinning it in frantic circles.

”My Lady?”

They stared at each other, the whirling yo-yo between them, neither quite sure what to do, before Ladybug finally leaned forward and grabbed onto Chat’s cheek...

Planting a kiss directly on his lips.

”I’ll...” she began, after she pulled away, then put her fingers to her lips. “I’ll check in on you tomorrow. I promise.”

And with that, she was gone, leaving an utterly flabbergasted Chat Noir and a box full of camping gear.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning everything continued as if Marinette’s whole world hadn’t been flipped upside down. She overslept—again; no new revelations as to Hawkmoth’s or Chat Noir’s identity had broken overnight to anyone but her. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that nothing was different, that everything was normal, that her partner hadn’t revealed himself to her while also springing the dreadful truth about one of her heroes on her without so much as a warning. But then she opened her eyes, and Adrien’s seat was empty, and she heard his voice break as he said his father’s name, and the bottom dropped out of her stomach all over again.

“He didn’t tell me anything,” Nino said. “Maybe he’s taking a sick day?”

Alya shook her head, drumming her stylus on her desk. “You don’t remember that time he puked in the bathroom and then came back to class?” she said. “I don’t think he even knows what a sick day is.” She turned to Marinette, Who was staring out the window. “Mari, you know his schedule. How often does he miss a day?”

Marinette grunted without turning her head. “He doesn’t even miss weekends,” she mumbled. She hoped he was okay at Fu’s—if he was Chat, anyway. She hadn’t thought to confirm. There hadn’t been time to think anything through before he’d spilled his identity and she’d freaked out, leaving him alone. He didn’t have anything but the clothes on his back, the ring on his finger, and the sleeping bag and inflatable mattress that she’d summoned for the Lucky Charm.

”I’m sure he’ll be in soon,” Chloé scoffed. But even she couldn’t hide the worry on her face. This wasn’t just anyone missing school—this was so out of character for him that pretty much the only explanation anyone could come up with was that something terrible had happened.

Which, of course, it had, but nobody but her knew that.

”Maybe I should call his father?” Mme. Bustier said. “I’m sure he’s fine, but this is... unlike him.”

”His dad’s in the hospital,” Marinette said.

Alya crinkled her brow. “Maybe Adrien’s visiting?”

That was when Principal Damocles burst through the door. “Caline, I need to speak to you.” He eyed the class. “In private.”

Marinette’s attention immediately snapped to his jacket pocket—she could see The Owl’s mask sticking out of the top. He’d sworn to her that he’d stop his superhero antics after the whole Dark Owl mess; if he was about to put the mask back on, then he must’ve been terrified.

Everyone was getting scared, she realized. He hadn’t even come home last night. To the rest of the world, it was like Adrien had vanished off the face of the Earth.

Her heartbeat got louder, her pulse filling her ears as Bustier followed Damocles our of the classroom. She was causing so many people so much worry— _No. This isn’t your fault. It’s Hawkmoth’s,_ she told herself, trying to calm the pounding in her head, her chest. _Adrien is fine._

But was he? What if she was wrong? She hadn’t stayed. What if he hadn’t made it to Fu’s last night? What if something had happened? Worse—what if she was wrong? What if he wasn’t Chat Noir at all? What if what his disappearance was completely unrelated?

_What if something had happened to him?_

Acid rose in her throat. She’d left him alone on that rooftop, and now he might well be dead, and she was sitting in class doing _nothing_.

She jumped to her feet. “Excuse me,” she murmured, ducking around the desk and fleeing out the door.

She barely made it to the restroom in time to throw her head into the sink, her stomach heaving its contents straight out of her throat and filling the porcelain with vomit. She fell against the sink, shivering, trying not to cry.

But, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the blue butterfly that passed through the window. Saw it light on her purse. Saw it disappear into a rush of blue motes of light. 

 _Hello... um, Ladrona?_ a very familiar voice said inside her mind.

Marinette froze, her heart bursting in her chest, as relief swept through her entire body. _He’s okay._ It was definitely Adrien’s voice she was hearing, now, and she knew only one person who had the Butterfly Miraculous. Adrien was Chat, and both of them were okay.

She sobbed.

 _Listen, I know what you’re thinking,_ the voice continued, _but I’m not him. My name is Greyling and I’m one of the good guys. I kind of need a favor, but only if you’re cool with it._

”You... have m-my phone number, Adrien,” she whispered. “You couldn’t just call?”

He was silent for a moment before replying. _You know who I am?_ he said.

”You gave me a heart attack.”

 _I’m sorry,_ he said _. I think Hawkmoth can monitor my phone._ _And what I’m about to ask of you is not... strictly speaking... legal. This way you can claim he was controlling you if the police catch you..._ he sighed _. Or if Ladybug finds out._

Marinette gritted her teeth. Everything he was saying right now was suspicious, and if it had just been Adrien, she would have balked, even for him. But this was Chat Noir. This was her partner. She trusted him beyond life.

“Okay,” she said. “I’m in. What do you need?”

She could hear Greyling swallow over the mental link. _I need you to rob my house._

* * *

Marinette hadn’t looked too good when she’d rushed out of class. The expression on Damocles’s face had been bad enough, but Marinette had been off all morning—if she didn’t know any better, Alya would have thought that her friend knew a little bit more about what was happening than she let on.

Still, seeing her _this_  distressed was always... bad. Hit Alya like a punch in the gut, if she was honest.

She opened the bathroom door, ready to ask if Marinette was all right—only to see a girl in dark blue, distinctive Hawkmoth lighting-bolt mask painted on her face, short black punk-rocker hair under a black beret.

Alya froze.

Marinette—or whatever Hawkmoth had named her—turned to her. Met her eyes.

_Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit._

_”_ I’m sorry,” the Akuma that had taken Marinette whispered, and then she vanished out the window like a thief in the night.

 


	6. Chapter 6

_I’ve only got about four minutes before I lose connection and you’re own your own,_ Greyling said.  _I can’t stay transformed for long, not after sending the butterfly._

”We’ll have to make it count, then,” Ladrona grunted as she dashed across the rooftops towards Adrien’s house, smoke trailing from her heels in bursts each time her feet lost contact with the surface below. “What do you need?”

 _Money and clothes,_ he said.  _I think you’re supposed to instinctually know how your powers work?_

Ladrona glanced down at the leather satchel that her purse had become, and he was right: she knew that anything she stuffed in would resize, shrinking into a space that was roughly the size of the classroom. She could probably fit the entire Eiffel Tower into it if she tried hard enough—though, considering the dimensions objects shrank by, it would probably fill up the entire space. “Yeah,” she said. “I don’t think I needed all this space for just that, though. Are you sure you don’t need anything else?” She pursed her lips, remembering the scarce resources she’d left him with. “A bed, maybe?”

_Why would I need a bed?_

_“_ Come on, Adri—”

_Greyling, please._

_”_ Greyling. It doesn’t take a genius to see that you’re running away from home.”

He laughed. _Good thing I picked one, then._

Ladrona tripped at the unexpected compliment, her feet windmilling smoke until she regained her footing. “Quit it!” she yelped.

_Sorry._

She ran in silence for a few minutes, trying to ignore the wind on her bare scalp. “Why me?” she said, finally. “Why not Nino?”

_Nino’s great and all, but aside from Ladybug you are **literally** the most capable person I know. And I could only pull this once._

“I—I’m not—I’m not—”

 _We can debate that later,_ he interjected. _You don’t even know where you’re bringing the stuff._

 _”_ I— I know h-how to find Fu’s shop perfectly well, thank you.”

_You what?_

“I can’t transform like this, so you’re gonna need to get your tail out here to make sure the cops don’t try—try to come after me,” she said as she came up on the mansion and saw it surrounded by police cars. “Use a Cataclysm. Make it look real.”

_I... you know?_

Ladrona vaulted the fence, leaping up to the second-story window that she knew led to Adrien’s room. “Talk about it when I get back. You’ve got a few seconds.”

She heard Roger Raincomprix shout as she passed overhead, and grimaced. She hated fighting cops. Especially Sabrina’s dad.

She burst through Adrien’s window at a roll, coming face-to-face with a distraught Nathalie Sancoeur.

* * *

Adrien hadn’t been in his bed this morning. And, according to the principal, he hadn’t made it to school either.

He’d been in his room last night when Nathalie went to sleep; she’d made sure of that. Somehow he’d completely vanished from the manor overnight. She couldn’t even ping the GPS on his phone: the battery had been taken out. He might as well have dropped off the face of the earth.

There were two possibilities that occurred to Nathalie, each a different brand of horrifying. The first was an average, run-of-the-mill kidnapping, someone taking advantage of Gabriel’s infirmity and her distraction to hold Adrien ransom. The second was worse: Adrien had been too trusting. He’d mentioned the Miraculous to someone too greedy or angry to let it slide, and they’d taken him to get their hands on the Butterfly, to take revenge or to become the new Hawkmoth.

The unfamiliar burglar with the blue skin and the smoking feet who stood in front of her only confirmed her worst fears. Adrien was in the hands of a villain even more ruthless than his father, someone who was willing to kidnap a child to get their hands on power.

( _Gigantitan doesn’t count,_ said her internal mental gymnastics. _Miraculous cure doesn’t apply here_.)

The two of them stared at each other in shock, as did the three gendarmes to whom Nathalie was giving her tearful statement. The girl seemed to have expected an empty room, or at least no opposition.

Nathalie did the first thing she could think of: she grabbed Adrien’s lamp and charged the Akuma.

”GIVE ME BACK MY SON!” she roared.

The girl deftly launched herself over Nathalie’s head, trailing smoke as she went. She landed, then spun on her heels, clotheslining Nathalie’s legs with her shin and bringing the assistant to the ground. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

The gendarmes tried to pile onto her, hold her down, but she moved like smoke, slipping around their arms and tangling their limbs in the strap of her satchel, then, with a deft set of yanks, slammed each of them into a different wall. They collapsed to the floor, stunned but not unconscious.

But the Akuma was fast. By the time Nathalie had struggled to her feet, she’d already stuffed Adrien’s minifridge and his bed into her bag, as well as snatching his wallet off the bedside table. Nathalie reached for her, but she juked, dashed for Adrien’s closet, started yanking clothes into the satchel—

Nathalie grabbed her wrist, twisting her around. “Where is he?” she hissed, staring into the Akuma’s eyes. “Where is Adrien?”

The girl met her eyes with a mix of pity and revulsion. “Somewhere safe from you,” she said.

Nathalie snarled. “If you don’t bring him back—”

Her fingers slipped, and the girl was gone.

 


	7. Chapter 7

"We've received word that Hawkmoth has kidnapped teen supermodel Adrien Agreste—"

"—Adrien Agreste, sole heir to the Agreste family fortune, has been kidnapped—"

_Agreste Heir Kidnapped; Hawkmoth to Blame?_

The Paris news cycle had gone utterly berserk since Ladrona breached the walls of the Agreste Mansion. What was known: Adrien Agreste had gone missing. There was no ransom note, no trace of the boy; the only clue anyone had was that Ladrona had seemed to know of his whereabouts, lending credence to the idea that Hawkmoth had taken him. Rumor had it that Ladrona was Adrien's mysterious girlfriend, the one who hadn't been seen in public since the fragrance ad. But the Ladyblog insisted that Ladrona hadn't been Akumatized until  _after_ Adrien had vanished, that her distress over his disappearance was what had corrupted her. But that made no sense: how had Hawkmoth taken Agreste without an Akuma? And why Akumatize someone else afterward?

Chamack was the first one to note that Ladybug hadn't shown during the fight against Ladrona. Chat Noir hadn't been able to defeat or even contain her on his own, but there'd been no claim on his Miraculous; she'd simply up and vanished.

Gabriel flipped through the channels on his hospital TV, trepidation growing with each report.  _What the hell is that boy doing?_

* * *

“There’s space for it right here,” Fu said, pointing at an empty portion of his shop.

Ladrona yanked Adrien's bed out of her satchel and carefully positioned it in the spot Fu had indicated. “Are you going to be able to look after him for long?”

Fu smiled wistfully. “As long as he needs it,” he said.

Ladrona rummaged in her satchel, trying not to let her relief show. “I’m worried about him,” she said. “This... can’t be easy to adjust to.”

”I suppose it is difficult for you as well,” Fu said. He pulled one of Adrien’s shirts out of the pile that she’d dumped them in and began to fold it. “He told me about your reaction when he revealed his identity.”

Ladrona froze. “Oh.” She swallowed. “Did you... tell him...?”

Fu chuckled. “Do you think he’d realize if I had?” he said, setting the shirt aside and selecting another from the pile. “Don’t worry. Your feelings for him remain a secret.”

“Oh thank god,” Ladrona huffed. “I don’t think I could handle that right now.”

”Handle what?” Adrien said.

Ladrona shrieked, tripped over her own feet, and landed face-first on the bed. “W-w-when did you—you—”

”Just now,” Adrien said, closing the door to Fu’s shop behind him. “What can’t you handle? Anything I can help with?”

”Testifying against your father,” Fu said without looking up from his folding. “I recommended you two wait until you’re ready.”

Ladrona met Fu’s eyes with as much gratitude as she could possibly muster. He responded by miming zipping his lips, and grinned.

”Ah.” Adrien walked over to the bed and sat down right next to Ladrona, leaving her _very_ aware of the closeness of his body, the warmth radiating from him.

Fu gathered up some of Adrien’s as-yet-unfolded clothes and ambled into the next room.

“I’m sorry about... all this,” Adrien said. “I know helping the son of—of your worst enemy is probably the... the last thing you want to do.”

Ladrona breathed in, trying to center herself; she needed to say this without stuttering. She closed her eyes and imagined Chat Noir in Adrien’s place. She could talk to Chat. “You’re my partner, Kitty,” she said. “And you aren’t your family.”

Adrien was silent for a few seconds. She could hear him breathing, putting himself together. “So,” he said, finally. “You’re my Ladybug.”

 _My_ Ladybug. Ladrona’s heart skipped a beat.

”Yeah,” she whispered. _Sorry. I know you were expecting someone more impressive, more—_

 _“_ Of course it’s you,” Adrien murmured. “Of course the two most incredible people in my life are the same girl.”

Ladrona’s breath stopped. Incredible? Adrien thought she was incredible? Not just Ladybug, but _Marinette_?

He turned toward her. “Can I... see you?” He swallowed. “You you. The Akuma is... making it hard to reconcile.”

She nodded. “Let me... I—I need to...” She reached into her satchel and produced the mini-fridge, dropping it on the floor. “Okay. It’s clear.” Then she tore the bag strap, ejecting the butterfly.

And then she wasn’t Ladrona anymore, or Ladybug—it was just Marinette, plain old Marinette, and Adrien was looking at her like she was the most incredible thing he’d ever seen...

His lips were so inviting. His gaze so soft. She couldn’t help leaning in, thinking maybe, maybe, he’d meant it, maybe he’d—

“Oh thank the Guardian!” Plagg cried. “You brought my cheese!”


	8. Chapter 8

Nathalie prided herself on her ability to read her employer’s capricious emotional states. After all, “expressive” was rarely a word used to describe Gabriel Agreste. “Taciturn,” “withdrawn,” or “stoic,” yes. It was frequently difficult for anyone to tell what he was feeling aside from contempt.

Due to her long tenure as Gabriel’s assistant, she’d gained quite the sensitive emotional radar. While not as refined as he’d described Hawkmoth’s to be—or even what little she remembered of Mayura’s—it was certainly enough to notice things that might be beneath the notice of others. In this case, how Chat Noir and Ladybug were studiously avoiding looking at each other.

They’d arrived at the mansion not ten minutes ago to “examine the crime scene,” which was another break in the usual pattern: Akuma were invariably loud and flashy, designed to attract attention or distract—even the quiet or invisible ones spent more time wreaking havoc than being sneaky. Ladrona’s disappearance had violated the predictability of Akuma attacks, and all of Paris was left on edge.

Which was, she assumed, a large part of why the two superheroes were so steadfastly avoiding each other. Chat likely blamed Ladybug for not arriving to help, and Ladybug blamed Chat for letting Ladrona get away. She could sympathize with both of them: she was absolutely furious on both counts.

”Why take the bed?” Ladybug said, examining the empty space where Adrien’s bed had been. Chat Noir scuttled past on all fours, sniffing the ground like a bloodhound; the gendarmes studiously ignored him. So did Ladybug. “If Hawkmoth was planning a kidnapping,” she continued, “you’d think he’d be more prepared.”

Nathalie wanted to tear her hair out. _This wasn’t Hawkmoth!_ she wanted to scream. Everyone was looking in the wrong direction, and she couldn’t _do_ anything about it without raising suspicion as to how she knew!

Officer Raincomprix scratched his chin. “We were thinking the same thing,” he said. “This may have been an opportunity kidnapping, not a planned one. But then why send the Akuma?”

”Uh, Officer Raincomprix?” Chat said from inside the closet. Nathalie started—when had he gone in there? “I found something I think you should see.”

”Please, Monsieur Noir,” the gendarme said, ambling over toward the closet. “You’ve saved me _and_ my daughter multiple times, and I’ve arrested you for false charges nearly as many. Call me Roger.”

”I don’t think you understand how much I cannot do that,” Chat said, exiting the closet with an envelope held between his claws. He looked over at Nathalie. “Mademoiselle Sancoeur,” he said, “it’s adressed to you.”

Nathalie looked at it with suspicion. She’d _been_ in that closet not twenty minutes ago, and she was fairly certain there hadn’t been an envelope in there then. There was no way both she and the police could’ve missed it if Chat had found it so quickly.

”We should probably take that,” one of the other officers—one of the forensic techs, she didn’t know his name—said. “It’s evidence.”

”I think we should open it at least,” Ladybug said.

The forensic tech nodded, taking the note from Chat with latex-gloved fingers and carefully opening the envelope. He scanned it quickly. “Um,” he said. “I think we’ve been going about this case all wrong.”

”What?” Roger said.

The tech cleared his throat and began to read. “ _Dear Nathalie,_

_“I’m fine, but by the time you read this letter, you likely won’t be seeing me again for a while. I don’t know if you’re aware of what Father has asked of me, but I refuse to do it, and I refuse to live in that man’s house any longer.”_

Nathalie gasped. This... had to be a trick. A fake. Didn’t it? Adrien would never...

 _”I’ve taken the brooch somewhere safe,”_ the man continued, “ _somewhere out of his reach where he can’t use it to hurt me, or anyone else, ever again. I don’t know how much you know, so I’m sorry to say I can’t trust you. For now, just know that I’m okay, I’m safe, and I’m not coming home._

_“I love you._

_”Adrien.”_

_”What?”_ Nathalie snapped, snatching the letter from the forensic tech. It had to be forged. It had to—no. This was Adrien’s handwriting.

”Brooch?” Ladybug said, covering her mouth. “Do you think he means...?”

Chat glanced at her, confused. “What?”

”Hawkmoth’s Miraculous,” she whispered. “It’s a brooch.”

Chat’s eyes widened. “Oh, no,” he breathed. “We... we have to find him.”

Ladybug nodded, her lips tight.

”Wait,” Officer Raincomprix interjected. “Are you saying that Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth?”

The two looked at each other, passing silent communication, before Ladybug turned back to the gendarme. “We don’t know,” she said. “But... it’s starting to seem like it.”

* * *

This situation was rapidly spinning out of control. Adrien was gone and had taken the brooch with him, and anything could have happened to him while he was away. He had no bodyguard, had left no address or method of contacting him. Even if he was fine—even if he’d somehow managed to find a safe place to stay—the jewelry he was carrying would make him a target.

And worse: without the Miraculous, Gabriel’s plan would be impossible. And his reaction didn’t even bear thinking about. The way he’d been before he’d realized he could bring her back... she’d never see him leave that hospital bed again. Or, if Adrien went to the police, a prison cell.

She needed to find him. She needed to find Adrien.

She took the blue porcelain fan out of the safe, shuddering as it touched her skin.

She would find him, whatever the cost.

 


	9. Chapter 9

The two of them alighted in a rooftop halfway across Paris, looked at each other, and finally collapsed into giggles.

”Holy cats!” Chat gasped. “I can’t believe that worked!”

Ladybug bent double, clutching her stomach and cackling. “I was _sure..._ we were gonna blow it!” she managed.

”Oh, god,” Chat said. “I couldn’t even look you in the eye without...”

Their eyes met, and both of them froze, unbreathing and unblinking, before they were able to tear their eyes away from each other, both of them turning away from their partner and staring at the roof below.

”I told you,” Chat murmured finally, still facing away from her. “You’re a genius.”

Ladybug cleared her throat. “The letter was your idea,” she said.

Chat waved his claws noncommittally, still not looking in her direction. “Yeah, but I was just gonna come out and accuse him outright,” he said. “You were the one who suggested we be subtle about it. And that we ‘find’ the letter.”

Ladybug swallowed. “It just... made more sense, is all.”

”Mom always said...” He licked his lips, uncomfortable. “Sometimes genius is the ability to see the obvious when no one else can.”

Ladybug craned her neck toward him without turning the rest of her body. “I think I would’ve liked your mother,” she murmured.

”Yeah.”

He walked over to the edge of the roof and sat down, his legs kicking out into the open air. “I’m... not sure what to do next,” he says. “I’m not much of a planner.”

She sat down next to him. “What do you _want_ to do?”

Chat chewed on his lip. “I want to expose him,” he said. “But we don’t really have much in the way of evidence.”

She laid her hand on his shoulder, and he stiffened. Swallowed. The casual gesture, something meaningless and normal when it came from Ladybug, seemed to mean so much more now that he knew that sweet, strong, gentle Marinette was on the other end of that hand. “We...” She swallowed. “We could go for public opinion,” she offered.

”What do you mean?” He turned to her, only having a second to take in the pinkness of her face before her whole head snapped away from him in what he was fairly certain was embarrassment. He wondered if she was thinking about their interrupted kiss—he wondered if that’s how she considered what happened, if she was even going in for the kiss or if that was just wishful thinking on his part.

”You could...” She coughed, looking anywhere but at him. “Send another letter. To Chamack.”

”Oh!” Chat said, nodding. “Yeah, I get it. Get enough people suspicious and they’ll find the evidence for us.”

Ladybug nodded back. “Yeah,” she said. “You’ll probably want to outright say it in this one, though.”

Chat pursed his lips. “Makes sense—” he said before cutting himself off, peering across the horizon towards the Hotel Bourgeois. “Hang on,” he said. “Is that the Bee Signal?”

* * *

It took them under two minutes to get to Chloé’s balcony, but by the time they got there she was already furious. “Where the hell have you two been!” she snapped, slamming her palms into the railing.

”The Agreste Mansion,” Ladybug responded quietly.

Chloé jerked backward, her mouth a mortified line. “Oh.” Then she leaned forward again. “Well, Adrien is my friend, so don’t think you’re keeping me out of this investigation!”

Chat tried to interject, but Chloé wasn’t finished. “There’s no telling what Dupain-Cheng has done with him!”

Chat’s gaze snapped to Ladybug, horrified that Chloé had just insulted her so carelessly and worried about how she would take it. But the expression on Ladybug’s face wasn’t angry, or indignant; it was something he’d learned to recognize as much more dangerous. His Lady had an _idea_.

Ladybug slung her arm over Chloé’s shoulders with a mischievous grin. “Bee,” she said with a conspiratorial lilt in her voice, “can you keep a secret?”

Chloé nodded gravely, and Chat almost lost it right there and then. Of _course_  Chloé couldn’t keep a secret—she’d lasted less than a day before blowing her own identity. The only thing that kept him from cackling was the knowledge that it would completely blow whatever Ladybug was trying to do; he forced it down as best he could.

"Right," Ladybug said. "So the thing is... we already found him."

Chloé's eyes widened. "Really?" she said. "Is he okay?"

Ladybug nodded, then seemed to think better of it and shrugged. "He’s safe, for now,” she said. “He explained to us what’s been going on—apparently he just found out Hawkmoth is his dad, so he stole the Miraculous and ran away from home.”

Chloé gasped. “Hawkmoth is...” She shook her head. “No. No way. I’ve known him my whole life!”

”Adrien was just as shocked as you are,” Chat interjected. “But that’s why he’s off the radar for now—he doesn’t want his father finding him.” He glanced over at Ladybug, hoping he was reading her well enough, hoping he was following the plan—she smiled at him. All good.

"He's the one who sent Ladrona to collect his stuff," Ladybug said. "So you don't need to worry about him. We've made sure he's safe and well taken care of."

* * *

"How long do you think until she spills the beans?" Chat said as they bounded across the rooftops back toward Fu's massage parlor.

"No idea," Ladybug said. "All we can do is maximize our chances."

Chat sighed. "God you're brilliant.”

Ladybug said nothing, but it was hard to miss the way her face grew red. He couldn’t tell whether she was flattered or mortified, but inwardly, he prayed—promising Plagg an entire wheel of Camembert as he did—that it was the former.


	10. Chapter 10

Her whole walk home, Marinette couldn’t shake the feeling that somebody was watching her. It was a tingle along her spine, running right up the back of her neck to where her skull met her vertebrae; ever since she’d put on the earrings, she’d learned to trust those kinds of instincts. They were usually Tikki trying to warn her of danger, even if Tikki herself didn’t know what the danger was.

Marinette kept turning, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever was following her, but picking someone out from the normal Parisian evening crowds was an exercise in futility.

" _Tikki_ ," she whispered as she drew closer to the bakery. " _How long have they been following us?"_

" _Five blocks after Fu's,_ " Tikki whispered back.

Marinette relaxed. A little. Adrien was safe, and so was her identity, but the same couldn't be said for her physically. She didn't know who was following her, or why, but she could tell that the only thing keeping them from just attacking was the crowd.

She couldn't transform, either. Not in this crowd, and if she were to slip away, whoever was following her would be able to deduce when Marinette went into an alley and Ladybug came out. She was stuck as a civilian—but Hawkmoth didn't have the brooch, did he? So who was following her? And why?

Her palms shook the entirety of the last two blocks to her place, her breath stuck in her throat as she forced herself not to run. She approached the door, nearly collapsed against the blackened window as her legs began to wobble (she noticed, offhand, that the sign was flipped to  _Closed_ , which was unusual at this time of day—had something happened?). She gave a last, desperate glance around, hoping to catch her stalker before she walked into the bakery, but... nothing.

She swallowed, ducking through the front door, her head down, hoping whoever it was wouldn't follow her inside.

Her parents were leaning over the bakery counter, in animated conversation with Alya and Nino and gesturing to Alya's phone. At the jingling sound of the door, all four of them looked up. "I'm sorry," her father said. "We're... closed...?" He blinked. "Pumpkin?"

They all stared at each other, before Alya rushed to tackle her.

"Oh my god, you're  _okay!_ " she cried, crushing Marinette between her arms. "We were all so  _worried_  about you!"

"How'd you get cured?" Nino said, hanging back, twisting the cap of his bubble wand on and off, on and off.

"We saw on the news," her mother said. "When Ladybug didn't show..."

Her father chuckled. "My little pumpkin," he said. "The first Akuma to ever  _beat_  Team—Team Miraculous." His voice cracked, his mustache drooped. Marinette could see, suddenly, how much  _weight_  all four of them were carrying. Unlike nearly every other Akuma up to this point, Ladrona had simply  _vanished_ partway through the day; they had no idea where she was, or even if she was still alive, and with no Ladybug, they must have feared they weren't getting her back.

"I'm fine," Marinette whispered. "Ladybug—Ladybug saved me."

Alya nodded, burying her face into Marinette's shoulder, as Sabine placed a comforting hand on her husband's bicep. "We're glad you're alright," she said, softly. "When Alya came into the shop..."

Her father choked again, his arms trembling.

Marinette squeezed Alya tight. She hadn't expected them to react like this—since Ivan, most Akumas had been understood to be beatable. Aside from that first battle, nobody had reacted like this to their loved ones getting corrupted. Paris had faith in Ladybug. But with the pattern broken...

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Nette," Nino said. "You weren't in con—"

The sound of glass shattering. The feeling of blades across her skin.

Ladybug's instincts, honed from a year of battling supervillains, drove her to the ground, dragging Alya under the spray of broken glass, narrowly avoiding the violet-clad knee that drove through the air where her head had been just moments earlier. The blue-skinned woman planted her feet, skating on heels across the bakery floor in a splay of peacock-feather dress, fans akimbo for balance.

" _Mayura!_ " Nino breathed, trying to pick himself off the ground from where he'd been thrown against the counter.

" _YOU."_  Mayura's red eyes locked on Marinette's, her blue face contorting in rage.

Marinette felt fear spike in her chest as Mayura—Nathalie Sancoeur, she realized—stalked forward.  _No no no no NO NO NO—_ she couldn't transform, Alya and Nino didn't have their Miraculouses, Adrien was halfway across the Arrondissement—

Sabine dashed around the counter, swinging a baking peel like a staff, the way she'd done when  _Fill My Shoes_  had invaded Marinette's room. "Get away from my daughter!" she screamed, bringing it down on Mayura's head.

Mayura didn't even budge as the board struck her skull, the staff snapping in half. Sabine froze, horrified, staring down at the ruined peel... and then, with a twist of her hips, Mayura backhanded her across the room.

" _Maman!_ " Marinette screamed, reaching out, helpless as her mother struck the back wall.

Mayura turned back to Marinette, charging forward, slamming her against the outside window with a glassy  _crack_. " _Where is Adrien?_ " she hissed, pressing the razor edge of her fan against Marinette's throat.

"Nathalie, don't—" Marinette croaked, only to feel the blade bite into the flesh of her neck. She screamed.

" _WHERE,_ " Nathalie growled.

Alya and Nino tried to charge her, while Tom tended to his wife. Mayura's foot snapped up, taking them both in the chest—both grunting as they took bone-cracking force to the ribs. Mayura turned back to Marinette. " _Ladrona."_

"I don't—know—" Marinette managed, before Mayura's fist broke the brick next to the window.

"You know  _something_ ," Mayura said. "A voice. A name. You  _have_  to remember—remember  _something. ANYTHING!"_

Marinette shook her head, her eyes wide. Sweat trickled down her forehead, and she swallowed—painfully, the blade sliding along the tear in her skin.

"Then you're no use to me," Mayura growled, pulling back a fan to strike.

Marinette closed her eyes.  _I'm sorry, Chat._

 _Mari?_ his voice said in her mind.  _I'm right here. I'm with you._

Mayura's fan crashed against her skin with the sound of metal striking metal. Sparks flared behind Marinette's eyelids.

She opened her eyes to see Mayura staring in shock and horror... and her own vision lined in purple. She looked down. Her hands—her  _skin_ —had gone silvery. Metallic. Iron.

"Greyling?" Marinette said.

_Kick her ass, Princess._

Marinette grinned, bunching her fingers into a fist as her heart rate began to slow. "Get the hell away from my family," she snarled, driving her fist into Mayura's chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally figured out where the name “Greyling” for butterfly Adrien came from so I want to credit JelloJolteon here. Check out their blog! https://jellojolteon.tumblr.com/


End file.
